Real Estate Investor · Providence, RI · Member since 2014 · 39 posts · 8 votes
Rehabbing a 1930's bungalow. There is tile present on the walls of the dining room, which is the most central room of the first floor. The tile is in decent shape.
Creeping on my rehab budget and would prefer to not demo the tile. Any tips for maybe refreshing the look? (Epoxy paint, acrylic resin). Could this have an ill-effect for home buyers if kept in?
Full-Time Investor · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2009 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
10y
I think he can do wainscoting/ beadboard and just have it taller. We actually do a 2/3 wall height in many of our high end projects (see pic below). This would cover the taller tiled wall. For the shorter tiled wall, just add filler/plywood/whatever material to bring flush with tile and then sheetrock/beadboard over to desired height with trim.
This pic below was actually in an old primary of mine that I remodeled. Same issue- old tile that I didn't want to demo, so we glued on beadboard, hid the top gap with stop molding, and added baseboard on bottom. Clean look for a budget!
Investor · Buffalo, NY · Member since 2015 · 67 posts · 7 votes
10y
Maybe Wainscoting?
Depending on how high end the rehab is. You can do some very nice looking wainscoting with some nice trim and go right over the tiles.
Are they all the way up the wall?
Or just half of the wall?
Maybe Wainscoting?
Depending on how high end the rehab is. You can do some very nice looking wainscoting with some nice trim and go right over the tiles.
Are they all the way up the wall?
Or just half of the wall?
It's a middle of the road rehab. That's a good thought, though...
The only part of it that's up the wall is what you see in the image on the right. The other sides are about a 1/3 up...
Investor · New York, NY · Member since 2008 · 169 posts · 73 votes
10y
This is most interesting...I've never seen this before. Maybe they were messy eaters and wanted easy clean up? Or a deterrent from kids' crayons? It's like wainscotting, BUT with tiles.
As a buyer, tiles in the dining room would be a turn-off for me and I would have to tear those tiles down. Very few buyers would be ok with tiles in the dining room, except for what they fixer buyers and they would ding you on price.
I would get rid of those, then either leave it plain or just add a chair rail or if you want to do it up, do wainscotting or the like.
Investor · Central Valley, CA · Member since 2012 · 6k+ posts · 3k+ votes
10y
If it's a rehab and not a rental the tile really has to be removed. You can't go over with bead board or drywall as the tile is currently flush with the entry molding....there's no room for any additional wall covering. Get a a demo and drywall quote from a couple of crews. The demo is not that big of a deal when you are not attempting to save the wall. The drywall/plaster crew will do the demo to get the job.
Creeping on my rehab budget and would prefer to not demo the tile.
Does this mean you didn't budget to deal with the the tile? Something that outdated and that outside the norm always has to go in a rehab. Unless it's a period detail that is popular and worth saving, you can't ignore stuff like that in your budget.
bead board. That's what I was referring to. I've done it in my rehabs. Tile like that is very common in my area.
Brad board with some nice finishing molding looks really nice actually. And very inexpensive.
I like bead board. You can cover tile and add trim with a nice look, especially in bathrooms. But the tiles in the OP's pictures are at the wrong height for the chair rail effect, and one one wall is too high, so would need partial demo and plaster patch anyway. The number one problem IMO is that tile is already flush with the entry molding so there's no artful way to add any surface height to the wall. There's nothing worse than when somebody adds drywall and doesn't account for moldings.
Creeping on my rehab budget and would prefer to not demo the tile.
Does this mean you didn't budget to deal with the the tile? Something that outdated and that outside the norm always has to go in a rehab. Unless it's a period detail that is popular and worth saving, you can't ignore stuff like that in your budget.
I've had to make corrections to my rehab plan and budget (which originally included the demo of the tiles), due to some serious unforeseen plumbing issues that became apparent after the REO was de-winterized. I'm identifying planned cosmetic updates that I could change to save $ without affecting resale or cutting corners (tile in the dining room being just one of them). I'm rehabbing based on the neighborhood and submarket, which is far from high-end.
Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
10y
Ok if you go with beadboard/wainscotting you may find you don't have to replace the wall behind. Is this over plaster? If so when you remove your tile your plaster damage will be behind the wainscoting except for that one tall wall, how you handle that will depend on how the tile comes off. Have you tried popping any of it off the wall? I have this exact tile from the same era in some of the apartments we have and some just pops off the wall while other areas it is a bit tougher. If that is wallpaper on the upper walls you may want to see if you have plaster under there first and what condition it is in.
If it is over sheetrock it will be different and you likely will have a worse condition wall.
Lafayette, CA · Member since 2013 · 91 posts · 45 votes
10y
Yuck, the tiles have got to go. Try first to see if you can wainscot over them--to save time and money of demo and what lies beneath the unknown before you can sheetrock after you demo and fix any unknown issues. Paint the wainscoting white, and paint above the wainscoting a more natural color.
If you can't wainscot over the tiles, then demo, sheetrock, and add a simple chair rail. Paint below the chair rail a different/slightly darker color than above the chair rail, and paint the chair rail white.
Best of luck to you, and congrats on moving right along on your flip! :)
Full-Time Investor · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2009 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
10y
I think he can do wainscoting/ beadboard and just have it taller. We actually do a 2/3 wall height in many of our high end projects (see pic below). This would cover the taller tiled wall. For the shorter tiled wall, just add filler/plywood/whatever material to bring flush with tile and then sheetrock/beadboard over to desired height with trim.
This pic below was actually in an old primary of mine that I remodeled. Same issue- old tile that I didn't want to demo, so we glued on beadboard, hid the top gap with stop molding, and added baseboard on bottom. Clean look for a budget!
Investor · Central Valley, CA · Member since 2012 · 6k+ posts · 3k+ votes
10y
Ok, I'm wondering why I'm the only one focused on the entry door molding. Look at the left wall. The tile is already flush with the door molding. In fact, it looks like the tile job was done after the original construction. How can you go over it, as it will add thickness and stick out past the molding. You can't add thickness to walls without taking moldings into consideration.
Investor · Knoxville, TN · Member since 2012 · 96 posts · 33 votes
10y
Don't need real bead board, use the 4X8 sheets of the faux stuff and liquid nail it to the tile. Only adds about 1/4" to thickness. They are about $20 a sheet. Caulk the seams then paint with white semigloss. Put a piece of trim around the top and a baseboard at the bottom. Done this many times. The stripes run on the vertical 8 ft run, so you can easily cover the tall section as well.
Investor · Knoxville, TN · Member since 2012 · 96 posts · 33 votes
10y
Originally posted by @Account Closed:
Ok, I'm wondering why I'm the only one focused on the entry door molding. Look at the left wall. The tile is already flush with the door molding. In fact, it looks like the tile job was done after the original construction. How can you go over it, as it will add thickness and stick out past the molding. You can't add thickness to walls without taking moldings into consideration.
The stuff I just referenced is only .155 inch thick, so doesn't really add any thickness at all. You just butt it up against that door mold and caulk tiny gap. Would look like a million bucks.
Investor · Appleton, WI · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 464 votes
10y
Looks like the tile goes right to the floor and also appears that there is an outlet sideways way at the bottom, inset in the tile. It should not be that big of a job to remove the tile and skim coat the rough parts of the wall that it leaves out. I did that on my personal residence when we moved the kitchen from one room to another. I think that the biggest problem with the tile is not the fact that it is tile but rather the color. I see 2 options. 1. Check with antique shops in the area and see how much you could get for the old tile and it might pay for the job of removing and skim coating the wall flush. Or 2. Prime the tile and spray it a gloss white.
Contractor · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2014 · 651 posts · 510 votes
10y
@Aref Shehadeh I would remove the wall tile (floor tile too!) and have either a bare wall or add trim (chair rail or wainscot. If the walls are plaster, you'll have a bit of work to do but it's certainly doable and worth the effort. Don't just cover over the tile; that's not quality. Always do things as if you were going to live there yourself!
One other caveat: I was surprised to learn, when I took the lead certification course, that many old tiles can contain lead. These may not be old tiles but make sure you test it and if need be, take proper precautions.
Investor · Los Altos, CA · Member since 2014 · 942 posts · 1k+ votes
10y
@Aref Shehadeh if you are willing to do the work yourself it will cost you less than $150 worth of materials to demo and put up drywall:
5lbs of drywall screws = $22
8ft x 4ft drywall = $12 per sheet
tape = $10
mud = $10
Some simple tools: Grinder with cut off wheel, knife, various putty knives, hammer, wrecking bar, etc
Don't demo the entire wall... just cut the wall where the tile ends and patch in the new sheet rock where the tile was. Buy the drywall AFTER you see how thick the existing material is so you can match the thickness of the new drywall to the old stuff. This is really not rocket science and with a little practice you will be able to blend the old area and the new area.
If you don't want to do the work yourself, most guys standing outside of HD could do this work for you. I am not sure what they charge per hour there, but here in CA it would $15/hour. For that small of an area, it should not take more than 2 days... 3 days max. So for less then $500 you could have the room looking nice and clean.
Flipper/Rehabber · Rochester, NY · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
10y
@Aref Shehadeh the tile has to go, as others have said. Don't use going over budget as an excuse not to rehab something that is so obvious and will really affect the sale--price and time on market. Accept the fact that you went over budget and do it right.
Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
10y
Is it drywall? or is it plaster? it will make a difference, the little bit of ceiling looks plaster. Instead of hitting the wall with a sledge try Sliding a knife behind the tile or pry off with a larger flat blade, see how they come off. I think regardless of how you proceed you are going to need to remove them. In the end it also may be cheaper to remove. Unless the whole house has the feel that @Account Closed is showing the full height wainscoting it is not going to have the updated look expected in a rehabbed house and there is the material cost. If you take them off you can either replaster, sheetrock or do the wainscoting half way. All of which may be cheaper then the fill-in method. Besides if you need to save the removal is something you can probably do.
Real Estate Investor · Providence, RI · Member since 2014 · 39 posts · 8 votes
10y
Great discussion. It's a plaster wall. I'm going in there today with the contractor to see if we can remove and patch without ruining the wall. Will keep everyone posted!
Architect · Papillion, NE · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 840 votes
10y
The tile pattern looks Art Deco and was the trend in the 30's. I bet the tile was designed around a china hutch or some type of furniture. This looks like a major over site on your rehab budget. The walls will be plaster with either lath backing or a plaster board with is like drywall. You can pop off all the tile from the top down and skim coat the wall with drywall mud, then sand and paint. I would take down the tile if you are going to cover it up. One option is to do a 2/3 high wood wainscot. This would get the room a formal design look.
Today is the multiple designs of tiles are available. There are a lot of bathroom-tile-design-ideas in my mind. That has come up in 2018 like wallpaper images designs. TILES & MOSAICS is still considered to be the best and luxury item to have in the bathroom. Mosaic is a piece of art which is made from collecting the different small pieces of coloured glass, stone, or other materials. It is often used in interior decoration. Most mosaics are made of s (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square)square, pieces of stone or glass of different colours of very small pieces.